&o 



DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Franklin K. Lane, Secretary 



United States Geological Survey 

George Otis Smith, Director 

Water-Supply Paper 375— G 



ground water in lasalle and 
Mcmullen counties, texas 

BY 

ALEXANDER DEUSSEN AND R. B. DOLE 



Contributions to the hydrology of the United States, 1915 
(Pages 141-177) 

Published February 17, 1916 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1916 

Mon»£raph 



i 



DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Franklin K. Lane, Secretary 



United States Geological Survey 

George Otis Smith, Director 



Water-Supply Paper 375— G 



ground water in lasalle and 
Mcmullen counties, texas 



BY 



ALEXANDER DEUSSEN AND R. B. DOLE 



Contributions to the hydrology of the United States, 1915 
( Pages 141-177 ) 

Published February 17, 1916 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1916 



CONTEXTS. 

Page. 

Introduction 141 

Physiography 143 

General relief 143 

Uplands 143 

Uvalde Plain 143 

Oakville Plain 144 

Frio Plain 144 

Wellborn Plain 144 

Yegua Prairie 145 

Cook Mountain Plain 145 

Valley lands 146 

Middle Pleistocene terrace 146 

Lowest Pleistocene terrace 146 

Overflow terrace or bottom 146 

Geologic outline 147 

General stratigraphy and structure 147 

Faults 1 48 

Geologic section 148 

Water-bearing formations 150 

Escondido formation 150 

Myrick formation • 151 

Mount Selman and Cook Mountain formations 152 

Yegua formation 153 

Fayette sandstone 154 

Frio clay 156 

Oakville sandstone 156 

Late Pleistocene gravels 156 

Chemical character of the water 156 

General character 156 

Quality in relation to geologic strata 157 

Quality in relation bo geographic position 157 

Quality far domestic use 159 

Quality far irrigation 161 

Quality far boiler use 163 

Comparison with surface waters 165 

Irrigation with ground water L67 

Well data ami water analyses K>9 



II. 1.1 STRATIONS. 



Pats. 
Platk \ III Geologic map and section of Lasalleand Mclf alien counties, Tex. 146 

l\ Map showing the Myrick arti rvoir in southwest Texas L62 

Fioure 31. ICapofTi a ttowing the location of Lasalleand tdcMullencoun- 
nd mean annual precipitation for the 20-year period 

to 1914, in. lusive Ml 

II 

D. 

mar;:'") 1916 






GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, 

TEXAS. 



By Alexander Deussen and R. B. Dole. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Lasalle and McMullen counties lie near the center of the area 
commonly referred to as southwestern Texas, which includes that 




Figure 31.— Map of Texas showing location of Lasalle and McMullen counties and mean annual precipi- 
tation for the 20-year period 1895 to 1914, inclusive (prepared by the United States "Weather Bureau). 
1, Lasalle County; 2, McMullen County. 

portion of Texas between Guadalupe River and the Rio Grande south 
of the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway. (See fig. 31.) 
The area of McMullen County is 1,180 square miles and that of 

141 



142 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

Lasalle County is 1,707 square miles; the combined area of the two 
counties is more than twice that of the State of Rhode Island. The 
two counties are drained by Nueces and Frio rivers and their tribu- 
taries. None of these are permanent streams, but all carry much 
water after heavy rains. 

The average annual precipitation in the area is about 22 inches, 
irregularly distributed. (See fig. 31.) At Fort Mcintosh, 64 miles 
south of Cotulla, according to records kept since L871, the annual 
rainfall lias ranged between 4.31 and 36.38 iuches, and there have 
been periods of four months, in which there was only a trace of rain; 
but in one month (August. 1871)) 12.59 inches fell. In the years of 
greatly deficient rainfall unirrigated crops fail. During 34 years for 
which there is a complete record at Fort Mcintosh there were 4 
years in which the rainfall was less than 10 inches and 7 years in 
which it was less than 15 inches, but 24 years in which it was more 
than 18 inches. 

This area is therefore in a semiarid belt, in which dry farming is 
to a certain extent practicable, although attended by many dis- 
couragements, but in which irrigation supplies are valuable where 
the water is of satisfactory quality. A small part of the arable land 
can he irrigated by sinking wells and by impounding storm water-, 
but most of the land if cultivated at all must be reclaimed by the 
intelligent application of dry-farming methods. An attempt to 
capitalize these lands at the same value per acre as the lands of the 
humid regions of the. United States or to practice the same kind of 
agriculture will eventually fail. Until this fact is frankly recognized 
there can be no permanent agricultural development in the region. 

In McMullen County there has thus far been very little irrigation. 
The hot statistics obtainable indicate that in 1913 the total irrigated 
area in Lasalle County was 5.000 acres, the water being obtained 
from Btorage reservoirs on Nueces and Frio rivers and from flowing 
and nonnowing wells. Garden truck is chiefly grown. Bermuda 
onions taking lir-t place. 

Although the trucking industry has made considerable beadwaj in 
Lasalle County during the last decade, it is at present Languishing, 
the causes being (1) lack of cooperation among the producers, which 
prevents satisfactory marketing; (2) excessive land values, in con- 
sequence of which some of the irrigation plants are capitalized so 
high that even with skillful management and low operating expense 
it is impossible to realize reasonable interest on the investment; 
(.; poorly designed irrigation systems with consequent excessive 
operating expenses; (4) lack of experience 1>\ those who have at- 
tempted this kind of farming: and (5) use of ground water that is 
too heai ill mineralized. 



GBOUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 143 

With the development of irrigation in Lasalle County, considerable 
interest has been aroused in the ground-water resources of the region, 
and inquiries are constantly being received by the United States 
Geological Survey concerning these resources. To meet this demand 
an investigation of the ground water of these two counties was made 
and an extensive report on the subject was prepared by the writers. 
The following brief paper is issued in advance of the complete report. 
The field work was done by Mr. Deussen, who also wrote the parts 
of the report dealing with physiography, geology, water-bearing 
formations, and irrigation with ground water. The analyses and 
assays of water were made by Mr. W. T. Read in the laboratory of 
the University of Texas. The part of the paper dealing with the 
chemical character of the water was written by Mr. Dole. 

PHYSIO GRAPHY. 
GENERAL RELIEF. 

Lasalle and McMullen counties range in altitude from approxi- 
mately 100 feet in the channel of the Nueces, on the east line of 
McMullen County to 630 feet on the west line of Lasalle County, 
north of the San Antonio, Uvalde & Gulf Railroad. They are a part 
of that great geographic province of North America known as the 
Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain. This broad plain slopes gently from 
an interior highland toward the sea and is characterized by low relief 
and wide river valleys. Near the coast it is nearly level, but in the 
interior it has been broadly though gently dissected and presents an 
undulating aspect. Lasalle and McMullen .counties are in that part 
of the Coastal Plain west of Guadalupe River known as the Rio 
Grande Plain, 1 which in vegetal and climatic conditions is distinct 
from the area east of the Guadalupe. 

Physiographically these two counties consist of uplands and valleys. 
The uplands may be divided into several parallel belts trending north- 
east, namely, Oakville Plain, Frio Plain, Wellborn Plain, Yegua 
Prairie, and Cook Mountain Plain. The valley lands include two 
groups of terraces in addition to the flood plains. On the uplands 
are remnants of a late Pliocene plain now nearly destroyed by erosion. 

UPLANDS. 

Uvalde Plain. — In the northwestern portion of McMullen County 
and to a less extent in the southeastern portion of Lasalle County there 
are extensive upland flats characterized by a sublevel topography and a 

1 Hill, R. T., and Vaughan, T. W., Geology of portions of the Edwards Plateau and Rio Grande Plain 
adjacent to Austin and San Antonio, Tex., with special reference to the occurrence of artesian and other 
underground waters: U. S. Geol. Survey Eighteenth Ann. Rept., pt. 2, pp. 202-203, 1898. 



144 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

soil consisting of coarse brown flint gravel in a matrix of black clay- 
loam. These areas may be designated as the Uvalde Plain. They 
are coextensive with the gravels mapped as the Uvalde formation. 
(See PI. VIII.) The vegetation consists of scrubby chaparral and 
prickly pear. 

OakviUe Plain. — The Oakville Plain occupies the southeastern por- 
tion of McMullcn County and is coextensive with the area marked as 
the outcrop of the Oakville sandstone on the geologic map (PI. VIII). 
This plain is not peculiar to McMullen County, but is one of several 
parallel bolts of country making up the Rio Grande Plain. 

In form the Oakville Plain is a cuesta, which may be defined as a 
low ridge with a very gentle slope on one side and a steep slope or 
scarp on the other, the shape having been developed by erosion of 
a series of gently inclined alternating hard and soft strata. The 
southeastern part is sublevel to rolling; the northwestern part is 
dissected and therefore rugged and hilly. 

The more level portions of this plain are characterized by residual 
dark-gray or dark-brown loam soils that carry a high percentage of 
organic matter. These soils in most places support a heavy growth of 
mesquite, chaparral, cactus, guajillo, and other native brush. Where 
the topography is more broken the soil is sparse, but the familiar, 
thickly set brush, collectively designated by the name chaparral, 
including black chaparral or 'black brush," white chaparral or 
''white brush," cat's claw, gnallacon (locally pronounced wy-ean'), 
and guajillo, is everywhere present. 

The dissected western margin of the plain is a Bcarp, which trends 
northeastward across the" county, and the hills so conspicuous in t ho 
topography of the southeastern portion of McMullen County are part 
of this scarp. Among them may !>e mentioned Lomo Alto, near the 
Duval County Hue. Los Tiendos, andChusaa Bills. (See PL \ 1 II.) 

I) i<> Plain. — The Frio Plain adjoins the Oakville Plain on the 
northwest. It lies mostly south of Nueces River in McMullen County. 
though in the eastern pari of the county ii extends north of the river. 

It is coextensive with the area marked as the outcrop of the Frio 
clay on the geologic map (PL VHP. 

The Frio Plain is a sublevel bo rolling area, not greatly dissected or 
broken, [ts Boils are fertile residual dark-gray to dark-brown loams 
containing a high percentage of organic matter. A black clay-loam 
soil also occurs. The graj and brown loam soils support a thick 

growth of chaparral, hut on the black cla\ loam chaparral is absent 

and open prairie prevails. 

Wellborn Plain, -The Wellborn Plain lies northwest of the Frio 
Plain and parallel to it. forming a bell about. 7 miles wide that ex- 
tends diagonally across McMullen County from the Bouthwest to tho 



GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 145 

northeast corner. It is coextensive with the area marked as the out- 
crop of the Fayette sandstone on Plate VIII. The Wellborn and 
Frio plains together form a cuesta that has a gently sloping surface 
on the southeast side and a pronounced scarp on the northwest side. 

The southeastern part of the Wellborn Plain is a rolling area, not 
very greatly dissected. The soils here are prevailingly dark-gray 
and dark-brown loams that carry large quantities of organic matter. 
The vegetation is characteristically chaparral, mesquite, and cactus. 

The northwestern part of the plain is rough, broken country, con- 
stituting a range of hills that includes Opossum Hill, in the vicinity 
of Crowther, the hills in the vicinity of Tilden, the hills 7 miles south- 
west of Tilden, and the Busky Hills, about 14 miles southwest of 
Tilden. In the places protected from erosion the soils are dark 
loams, but in many localities there is practically no soil, the country 
rock being exposed at the surface. The chaparral, however, pervades 
the barren spots as well as the more fertile areas. 

Yegua Prairie. — The Yegua Prairie, which is coextensive with the 
outcrop of the Yegua formation (PI. VIII), borders the Wellborn Plain 
on the northwest and occupies the southeastern part of Lasalle County 
and much of the northwestern part of McMullen County. In some 
places it is gently rolling and in others almost flat. The prevalent 
soil is a fertde black clay loam containing a large amount of organic 
matter. This belt is mostly treeless, but is covered with grass and 
presents a pleasing contrast to the chaparral-covered plains so com- 
mon in southwestern Texas. Owing to the lack of transportation 
facilities these lands are at present almost entirely devoted to 
ranching. 

Cook Mountain Plain. — The Cook Mountain Plain lies northwest 
of the Yegua Prairie and occupies the northwestern half of Lasalle 
County. It is coextensive with the outcrop of the Cook Mountain 
formation. (See PI. VIII.) Its surface is sublevel to rolling. The 
prevalent type of soil is a red or brownish-red fine sandy loam, under- 
lain by a bright-red sandy clay subsoil of rather compact structure. 
The soil is well suited for the growing of garden truck and cotton. 
The native vegetation consists of a heavy growth of mesquite, chap- 
arral, prickly pear, tasajillo, guajillo, cat's claw, etc., in places so 
thick that passage through it, except by cutting the way with an ax, 
is impossible. Another type of soil which occurs on this plain but 
which is much less widely distributed, is a black loam on a red clay 
subsod. This soil is not so thickly set with the native brush as the 
sandy loam. The black-loam type of soil prevails in the immediate 
vicinity of Gardendale, north of the Nueces, and of Atlee, south of 
the Nueces. 



146 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

VALLEY LANDS. 

The valleys of Nueces and Frio rivers cut the upland plains, gen- 
erally at right angles, the trend of the upland plains usually being 
northeast and the course of the valleys northwest. However, the 
valley of the Nueces in McMullen County and that of the Frio in the 
eastern part of McMullen County parallel the trend of the plains. 

The uplands as a whole have a gradual and more or less uniiorm 
slope to the southeast, or in the direction of the Gulf. The profile of 
the valleys shows in general a similar slope, but the grade is not 
quite so steep. However, the valleys are 50 to 200 feet below the gen- 
eral level of the uplands. They have been partly rilled with allu- 
vium deposited by the streams. The valley lands are Separable into 
three groups, differing in geologic age. in soil and vegetal conditions, 
and in their level with respect to the present stream channels! 

Miihlh Pleistocem 1< trace. — What may be called the middle 
Pleistocene terrace stands at a level about 40 to 60 feet above the 
present stream bed in the Nueces and Frio valleys, in Lasalle and 
McMullen counties. This terrace occupies a comparatively small 
area, appearing at irregular intervals on both sides of the streams. 
The characteristic feature is the heavy coat of gravel, consisting 
largely of flint and forming the surface of the flat. The vegetation 
consists of chaparral, guajillo, cat's claw, prickly pear, etc. 

Lowest PleistoceiU terrace. — The lowest Pleistocene terrace is much 
more extensive than the terrace just described, constituting the 
main portion of the valleys of the two streams in the counties under 
consideration. It lies at a level 20 to 10 feel below that of the 
middle Pleistocene terrace. The lands of this terrace are Dearly 
level and have been subject to very little erosion. The prevalent 
type of Boil is a grayish-brown loam, rather high in silt and in places 
containing a large quantity of fine sand. The soil has a grayish and 
BOmetimes yellow appearance on 1 he surface but appears much darker 
immediately below. An especially characteristic feature of these 
sod- i- the great number of Recent land sheik scattered through them, 
causing the land to be locally known as "shell land." Nearly all 
the irrigation farms in the Nueces Valley in Lasalle County utilize 
these terrace soils fox growing truck crop-. A heavy growth of 
mesquite and prickly pear occupies these lands in their native state. 
flow terract «/• bottom. The lowest terrace in these stream 
valleys lies at alevel 10 to 20 feet below thai of the lowest Pleistocene 
terrace, or about io to l") feet above the present stream beds. This 
terrace i- Bubjecl to overflow during periods of Bood. The surface is 
level to gentlj undulating, but in place- it is cul by so-called " bayous," 
representing abandoned channels of the streams or of tributaries 
discharging into I hem. A common soil of this terrace is a grayish- 










lo>Gles 

D McMULLE 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 375 PLATE \ 




mzmMmmtm 



Contour interval 50 feet 
GEOLOGIC MAP AND SECTION OF LASALLE AND 



>GIea 

Mcmullen counties, tex, 



GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 147 

brown to dark-brown silty clay loam underlain by a gray to slightly 
yellowish-gray or yellowish-brown silty clay loam, usually more com- 
pact than the soil. This soil supports a vigorous growth of mesquite, 
prickly pear, guajillo, tasajillo, several species of native grasses, and in 
places along the streams considerable live oak, pecan, hackberry, and 
sycamore. Another soil of this terrace is a dark-gray heavy plastic 
clay loam, varying somewhat in color according to the moisture 
content. On account of the high lime and humus content the soil 
when dry is loose and granular. When wet the color varies from 
dark drab to nearly black; when dry, from dark gray to slightly 
lighter shades. This soil in most places supports mesquite, prickly 
pear, and native grasses, but in the Nueces Valley from old Fort Ewell, 
in Lasalle County, to the Miles ranch, in McMullen County, it supports 
a heavy growth of sacahuiste grass, a tall, rank, coarse species. This 
portion of the Nueces Valley is locally known as the Sacahuiste Flats. 
The presence of the grass indicates the existence of salt in the soil. 

GEOLOGIC OUTLINE. 

General stratigraphy and structure. — The sediments exposed in 
Lasalle and McMullen counties comprise several formations belonging 
to two systems, the Tertiary and the Quaternary. (See PI. VIII.) 
Deep wells also encounter formations belonging to the underlying 
Cretaceous system. The beds older than the Quaternary were origi- 
nally almost horizontal but have been gradually elevated and tilted 
toward the Gulf. Since their elevation above the sea they have been 
subjected to erosion, those having the highest altitude and the longest 
period of exposure having suffered the most. The oldest and lowest 
formation exposed in these counties is therefore found along the west 
line of Lasalle County, at the greatest distance from the coast, and the 
youngest and uppermost formation, except the upland gravels and 
the valley deposits, is found in the southeast corner of McMullen 
County, at the least distance from the coast. The upland gravels and 
valley deposits were laid down after some tilting and erosion had 
taken place. In traveling from the southeast corner of McMullen 
County to the northwest corner of Lasalle County the geologist may 
inspect the entire series just as he could by descending a shaft sunk 
to the bottom of the series in the southeast corner of McMullen 
County. By thus determining the geologic section he can predict 
the sequence and character of the materials that would be encoun- 
tered in sinking such a shaft or well. (See geologic section, PL VIII.) 

An important feature in the geology of the area is a difference in 
the direction in which the formations dip on the opposite sides of a 
line extending from the northwest corner of Lasalle County to a 
point a short distance north of the southeast corner of McMullen 



148 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1315. 

County, as suggested by the underground contours in Plate IX. 
North of this line in Lasalle County the older Tertiary formations 
(Yegua and older — see table below) dip S. 28° E.. whereas south of it 
they dip S. 71° E. On both sides the rate of dip is about 35 feet to the 
mile. In central McMullen County the Frio, Fayette, and Yegua 
formations (see table below) dip S. 48° E. at a rate of 48 feet to the 
mile; in northeastern McMullen County the same formations dip S. 
51° E. at a rate of 68 feet to the mile; in southeastern McMullen 
County the Oakville sandstone (see table, p. 149) dips S. 79° E. at a 
fate of apparently only 14 feet to the mile. 

Faults. - A normal fault having a vertical displacement of probably 
40 feet or less, downthrow on the east side, and a trend of X. 30° E., 
is believed to exist in northwestern McMullen County. This fault is 
believed to enter McMullen County approximately S miles north of 
the BOUthwesI corner and to leave it approximately 10 miles west of 
the northeast corner. (See geologic map, PI. VIII.) No exposures 
were found which show the fault, but its existence is inferred on the 
evidence of well sections and the quality of the water. Along this 
line and in most of McMullen County east, of it nearly all the ground 
water, both deep and shallow, is very salty. As the chemical com- 
position of the strata from which the water comes is not such as 
would account for tliis condition and as water derived from the samo 
formation elsewhere is not salty, it would seem that faulting along the 
line indicated has afforded opportunity for the ascent of salt water 
from much lower levels. 

A second fault cuts across the southeastern portion ol McMullen 
County in a direction N. 40° E. (Sec PI. VIII.) It is exposed at 
Los Picachos Hill, in Duval County; its trend toward the northeast 
in Live Oak County is inferred. 

Geologic section.— The formations that are exposed or have been 
reached in drilling are shown in the Following table and are described 
briefly under the heading "Water-bearing formations" (p. 150). 



GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 149 



Geologic formations of Lasalle and McMullen counties, Tex. 



System. 



Quater- 
nary. 



Tertiary or 
Quater- 
nary. 



Series. 



Recent. 



Pleistocene. 



Pliocene or 
Pleistocene. 



Tertiary. 



Miocene. 



Formation. 



Lowest Pleistocene 
terrace. 



Middle Pleistocene 
terrace. 



Highest Pleistocene 
terrace. 

-Unconformity 

Uvalde formation. 

-Unconformity 



Oakville sandstone. 



-Unconformity - 



Frio clay. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 
0-20 



1-30 



1-30 



1-30 



1-50 



150± 



660± 



Lithology and characteristic fossils. 



Fluviatile deposits of black silt or loam 
composing low overflow terrace of Nue- 
ces and Frio rivers; also present flood- 
plain materials, sand and gravel bars. 



Yellow to gray silt, containing great num- 
bers of Recent land shells; on a founda- 
tion of limestone and flint gravel in 
places. 



Flint cobbles and pebbles, with some lime- 
stone and sandstone cobbles and pebbles. 



Flint cobbles, embedded in a lime matrix 
in some places, loose in others. 



Upland gravels, waterworn brown flint 
pebbles, embedded in a lime matrix. 



Gray sandstones, soft and highly calcareous 
in some places, hard and noncalcareous 
in others; some clay beds. Fossils: Proto- 
liippus medius Cope, Protohippus perditus 
Leidy, and Protohippus placidus Leidy. 



Fayette sandstone. 



Eocene. 



Cretaceous. 



Gulf. 



Yegua forma- 
tion. 



Cook Mountain 
formation. 



Mount Selman 
formation. 



Myrick formation. 



Unconformity- 



Escondido formation. 



460± 



600± 



540± 



325-473 



1, 142± 



700± 



Green and pinkish-red compact jointed 
clay, with small lime nodules; concre- 
tions of siliceous limestone 4 to 12 inches 
in diameter stained with manganese; in 
lower part beds of brown marl with Ostrea 
georgiana Conrad. Of Jackson age. 



Gray to yellow noncalcareous sandstones; 
flaggy sandstones near the center with 
Tellina eburniopsis and other fossils; 
brown and green compact shale; silicified 
wood very common. Of Jackson age. 



Green and brown shales, the latter with 
plant remains; beds of lignite; in places 
sand and sandstone; in the lower portion 
oyster beds with Ostrea alabamiensis Lea 
and green shales with masses of selenite. 



Fossiliferous glauconitic marl with inter- 
bedded ferruginous glauconitic sands and 
sandstones; large concretions of fossilif- 
erous sandy limestone; materials weather 
into red soils. Fossils: Phos texanus 
Gabb, Turritella nasuta Gabb, Denta- 
Hum minutistr iatum Gabb, Corbula smith- 
villensis Harris, and C. gregorioi Cossman. 



Ferruginous sands and sandstones or 
altered glauconite, with many rounded 
calcareous sandstone concretions, fossil- 
iferous in places; beds of clay and shale. 
Fossils: Cornulina armigera Conrad. 



Atthe top, yellownoncalcareous sandstones 
and blue sands, with interbedded blue 
shale; in the middle, yellow and blue 
shales, with beds of lignite, brown sand- 
stone, and hard blue sandstone concre- 
tions, underlain by coarsely crystalline 
noncalcareous quartzitic white to yellow 
sands, which overlie yellow and brown 
sandstones with beds of lignite and sandy 
shale; theselowerbeds carry fossilleaves; 
at the base, fossiliferous limestone, clay, 
and sandstone with Turritella mortoni 
Conrad, Ostreapulaskensis, Ostrea crenuli- 
marginata Gabb, and Venericardia per- 
antiqua Conrad. 



Bluish-black calcareous marls with inter- 
bedded black and blue clays, yellow- 
brown and brown sandstones, limestones, 
and oyster bed,. Fossils: Exogyra cos- 
tata Say, Ostrea cortex Conrad, Spheno- 
discus pleurisepta Conrad. 



150 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

WATER-BEARING FORMATIONS. 

Among the geologic formations underlying Lasalle and MeMullen 
counties there are several extensive sandy beds separated by beds of 
impervious material, such as clay or shale. These sandy beds arc in 
general saturated with water which enters at their outcrops and which 
supplies the artesian wells of these counties. A description of these 
artesian reservoirs follows. 

ESCONDIDO FORMATION. 

The Escondido formation, of Upper Cretaceous age. which under- 
lies these counties but crops out farther northeast, rests on older 
Upper Cretaceous impervious clays and is covered by more or less 
impervious material at the base of the Eocene Myrick formation. 
It is on the whole a sandy formation in which water is stored. A well 
driven to the bottom of this formation will at various levels pass 
through sands that will supply water. 

The catchment or outcrop area of this formation is in eastern 
Maverick and southern Uvalde counties. Easl and south of the 
catchment area the formation dips beneath the surface. At Carri/.o 
Springs the topis 650 feet and the base 1,350 feel below t lit" Burface. 
At Cotufla the top is 1,830 feet and the base 2,630 feet below the 
snrface. 

The wells at Crystal City, in Zavalla County, are supplied by the 
Escondido formation. Sands belonging to this formation supply the 
Hidy well. 2 miles northwest of Crystal City, at a depth of 1,000 feet, 
and are found at a depth of 1.000 feet in a well 1 mile west of Brun- 
dagej at 1,000 feet in the well at Brundagc: at 1 .:V_>() and 1,520 feet 
in the well half a mile west of Big Wells: at 1,510 and 1.000 feet in 
the Allen & Thomson well. :C. mile- BOUtheasI of Las Vegas; and 
between 1,919 and 2,414 feet in the well of Joe Cotulla, ST., 1 mile 
west of Cotulla. 

At Cotulla water from the Escondido formation rises 100 feet above 
sea level, and at Crystal Cit\ about 000 feet. Flowing wells from 
these Bands can be had over a considerable portion of I Minimi 
County, chiefly in the lowlands flanking the valley of the Nueces and in 
much of Lasalle County west of the International & Great Northern 

Railroad. The area of flowing wells is alightly larger in Dimmit and 

western Lasalle counties than the area indicated for the Myrick 

format ion OD Plate 1 X. 

A number of wells have been driven to this formation and are draw- 
ing water from il in Dimmit and Zavalla counties, but BO far the only 
well in Lasalle County deriving its BUpply from this source is the well 

of Joe Cotulla, ST., l mile wesl of Cotulla. 

Detailed Btudies on the quality of the water from this reservoir 
have not been completed because the reservoir has no1 been exploited 



GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 151 

in Lasalle County, but preliminary studies indicate that these sands 
supply a calcium carbonate water of moderate mineral content suit- 
able for boilers, domestic use, and irrigation. It is much better than 
the water obtained from other formations in Lasalle and McMullen 
counties. 

Two samples of water were collected from the well of Joe Cotulla, 
sr., during the process of drilling one from the sands between 1,200 and 
1,965 feet, and the other from the sands between 1,600 and 2,414 feet. 
The analyses (see analyses 39 and 40, p. 176) indicate that the lower 
water contains much less mineral matter than the upper. Both 
samples represent a mixture of water from the basal sands of the 
Myrick formation with that of water from the Escondido reservoir, 
and the water represented by the first analysis, owing to the method 
of casing, has had opportunity to mingle with the water represented 
by the second. If the lower sands in this well were completely 
segregated from the sands in the lower part of the Myrick and the 
upper sands of the Escondido, the well would probably yield much 
better water, which would compare favorably with that from these 
sands in portions of Dimmit and Zavalla counties. 

As no ground water better adapted for irrigation can be obtained 
within the limits of Lasalle County, that from many wells being 
unsuited not only for irrigation but also for domestic and boiler use, 
it would be well worth while to make additional experiments in that 
portion of the county lying west of the International & Great Northern 
Railroad, with the view to determining definitely the extent of these 
sands and the quality of water in them. The chances are favorable 
for procuring from them in this portion of the county a supply of 
water that can be depended on for irrigation and other uses. It can 
not be too strongly emphasized, however, that in undertakings of 
this kind it is necessary to exclude completely from the well by 
proper casing all waters except those from beds near the base of 
the Escondido formation. Unless this is done success can not be 
expected. 

East of the International & Great Northern Railroad these sands 
lie too deep to make their exploitation profitable, even if water of 
good quality could be obtained from them. 

MYRICK FORMATION. 

The Myrick formation is the artesian reservoir chiefly exploited in 
Lasalle County. The white, coarsely crystalline quartzitic sands 
lying between more or less impervious materials at the bottom and 
impervious clays in the middle of the Myrick formation constitute 
the water-bearing member. They will supply water to wells any- 
where in Dimmit, Lasalle, and McMullen counties, but in eastern 
McMullen County the water is unfit for use. 



I 

152 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

The intake area is in eastern Maverick County and western and 
northern Zavalla County. (See PI. IX.) East and south of this 
area the sand bed passes beneath the surface with a dip of about 
35 feet to the mile. At Carrizo Springs these sands He between 
depths of 230 and 530 feet, at Big Wells between 783 and 1,083 feet, 
at Cotulla between 1,480 and 1,780 feet, and at Fowlerton between 
1,900 and 2,200 feet. The position of the base of this reservoir in 
Dimmit and Lasalle counties and northwestern McMuUen County is 
indicated by means of contours on Plate IX. 

Water-bearing sands are reported at a depth of 1,500 feet 1£ miles 
southeast of Woodward (well 100); 1,465 feet 1 mile east of Millett 
(well 96); 1,700 feet, more or less, at Gardendale; 1,600 feet 1 mile 
west of Cotulla (well 39); 1,560 feet, more or less, 1 mile northwest 
of Artesia (well 22); between 1,900 and 2,053 feet at Fowlerton well 
72); between 2,050 and 2,105 feet at Zella, 6i miles north of Fowler- 
ton (well 131); and between 2,986 and 3,002 feet 6} miles southeast 
of Tilden (well 128). All these sands belong to the Myrick formation. 

Flowing wells are obtained by tapping the sands of the Myrick 
formation over an area in Dimmit Count}' that has roughly the shape 
of a triangle whose vertex appears on the Nueces near the Zavalla 
County line and whose base coincides with the east line of Dimmit 
County where the Nueces crosses the line, being on this boundary 
approximately 10 miles wide. Flowing wells may be obtained by 
drilling to these sands in nearly all of Lasalle County east of the Inter- 
national & Great Northern Railroad and in the northwestern half of 
Mi Mullen County. (See PI. IX.) Most of the deeper and larger 
wells of Lasalle County, such as the wells at Woodward, Gardendalo, 
and Fowlerton, draw then supplies from these sands. 

In the eastern half of Dimmit County and in all of Lasalle Count y 
the water from tho Myrick formation is suitable for domestic use. 
but it is bad for boilers because of its tendency to foam. It is not 
adapted for irrigation without taking special precautions to prevont 
damage from alkali. In the greater part of McMullen County (all 
the territory east <>f the fault line shown on PL IX) the water is too 
salty for use. 

MOUNT SELMAN AND COOK MOUNTAIN FORMATIONS. 

He Mount Salman and Cook Mountain formations consist largely 
of porous sand, charged with water, confined between bheimpervious 

clays at the base I'f ttie Mmiii! Salman and the clay- of the Yegua 

formation. The formations constitute an artesian reservoir which 
supplies wells in Lasalle and McMullen counties, though in McMullen 

County the water i- bo highly mineralised that it can not be used. 

The intake area of these two format ions i- coe\tcn»i\ e with their 

outcrop in the western half of Lasalle County. (See PL \ 111.) In 



PLATE IX 




Base prepared from a reconnaissancesurvey 

of south west Texas by Bureau of Soils 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 19U 



LEGEND 



Intake area or outcrop of the 

lower part of the Myrick 

formation 



Contour showing the position 
of the bottom of the Myrick 
formation. ( Datum is 
mean sea level.) To find 
the depth necessary to pen- 
etrate these sands at any 
point in the area of avail- 
ability, add the elevation 
of the ground to the num- 
ber of the contour; the sum 
will be the required depth. 
Surface elevations can be 
ascertained from the con- 
tour map, Plate VIII 



Z 



Fault line (inferred) 






Area west of the fault line 
where flowing wells may 
be obtained by drilling to 
the Myrick formation in 
McMullen, Lasalle, and 
Dimmit counties, Tex. 



Nonflowing wells supplied by 
the Myrick formation. 



Flowing wells supplied by 
the Myrick formation 



In all the area west of the 
fault line water suitable 
for drinking and stock can 
be procured from these 
sands, if care is taken to 
case off the more highly 
mineralized water of over- 
lying sands. This water 
is, however, not suitable 
for irrigation or for use in 
boilers. East of the fault 
line the water from" these 
sands is salty and is not 
suitable for drinking, irri- 
gation, Qr boiler use 



V. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 376 pUTE 




„ e f ^ e . t !? red fr S m a reconnaissance survey 
i ?S. Ut n WeSt Te * as b * Bureau ° f s °''s 
y-o.uepartment of Agriculture 1911 



MAP SHOWING THE MYRICK ARTESIAN RESERVOIR im * 

° IR IN SOUTHWEST TEXAS 



LEGEND 



Intake area or outcrop of the 



Contour showing the position 
of the bottom of the Myrick 
formation. (Datum is 
mean sea level.) To find 
the depth necessary to pen- 
etrate these sands at any 
point in the area of avail, 
ability, add the elevation 
of. the ground to the num. 
bar of the contour; the sum 
will be the lequired depth. 
Surface elevations can be 
ascertained from the con- 
tour map, Plate Vill 

Fault line (inferred) 



Area west of. the fault line 
where flowing wells may 
be obtained by drilling to 
the Myrick formation in 
McMullen, Lasalle, and 
Dimmit counties, Tex. 



Nonflowing welts supplied by 
the Myrick formation, 



Flowing wells supplied by 
the Myrick formation 



In all the area west of the 
fault line water suitable 
for drinking and stock can 
be procured from these 
sands, if care is taken to 
ease off the more highly 
mineralized water of over- 
lying sands. This water 
is, however, not suitable 
'for irrigation or for use in 
boilers; East of the fault 
line the water from' these 
sands is salty and is. not 
suitable for drinking, irri- 
gation, or boiler use 



GBOUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 153 

the southeastern half of Lasalle County and in McMullen County they 
are covered by younger beds. At Cotulla these sands extend down- 
ward from the surface to a depth of 670 feet; at Fowlerton they are 
found between depths of 250 and 1,140 feet; and 6i miles southeast 
of Tilden they are encountered between 1,250 and 2,150 feet. 

Water-bearing sands of these formations occur at a depth of 182 
feet 3 miles west of Woodward (well 97); between 160 and 164 feet, 
195 and 201 feet, and 260 and 290 feet 1\ miles north of Gardendale; 
at 60, 110, 330, and 650 feet in the vicinity of Cotulla; at 80, 140, 
185, 200, 400, and 500 feet in the vicinity of Artesia Wells; at 36, 
125, 270, 400, and 670 feet in the vicinity of Artesia; between 116 
and 146 feet and at 200, 348, and 450 feet in the vicinity of Encinal; 
between 342 and 373, 495 and 523, 1,050 and 1,142 feet, 1| miles 
west-northwest of Fowlerton (well 80); between 1,040 and 1,080 and 
between 1,391 and 1,476 feet 4J miles east of Tilden (well 127); and 
at 1,155 feet at Crowther. 

Flowing wells are obtained by tapping these formations on low 
ground along the line of the International & Great Northern Rail- 
road, in the vicinity of Artesia and Artesia Wells, and in the Nueces 
Valley at Cotulla. They are not obtained at Encinal and Garden- 
dale, owing to the higher elevation of these places. East of the rail- 
road in the eastern half of Lasalle County and in McMullen County 
flows are usually obtained wherever these sands are penetrated, but 
in these districts the water is generally so highly mineralized that it 
can not be used. 

These sands are developed for water chiefly along the line of the 
International & Great Northern Railroad, where the depths do not 
usually exceed 600 feet, where the pressure is good, in places being 
sufficient to produce flows, and where the water is usually of such a 
quality that it can be used for drinking and cooking. In eastern 
Lasalle County and in McMullen County no wells are finished in these 
sands because of the very poor quality of the water. 

In western Lasalle County water from these sands is commonly 
of the sulphate or chloride type and is, as a rule, suitable for domestic 
use, as at Encinal, Artesia, Artesia Wells, and Gardendale, and the 
deeper water at Cotulla, but it is poor for boiler use and irrigation. 
In eastern Lasalle County and in McMullen County water from these 
sands is usually a highly mineralized sodium chloride water unfit for 
domestic use, boilers, or irrigation. 

YEGUA FORMATION. 

The Yegua formation includes a number of sandy strata which will 
yield water. The formation supplies wells in the southeastern half 
of Lasalle County and in McMullen County, but the water in nearly 
all these wells is so salty that it is nearly valueless. Cattle will drink 
the water from a few wells tapping this reservoir. 



154 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

The outcrop area is in southeastern Lasalle County and hi the 
northwestern half of McMullen County (see PL VIII), hut the forma- 
tion is covered hy later beds in the southeastern half of McMullen 
County. At Fowlerton the Yegua formation extends from the sur- 
face to a depth of 250 feet; 6£ miles east of Tilden it is found hetw een 
depths of 625 and 1,140' feet. Water-bearing sands are found at 
various levels between these depths. 

Water-bearing sands belonging to this formation occur also 1J 
miles west-northwest of Fowlerton at a depth of 124 to 134 feet; at 
Zella, 6£ miles north of Fowlerton, between 110 and 115 feet; 5^ 
miles south-southwest of Fowlerton hetween 204 and 218 feet; 8 
miles east-northeast of Tilden (well 125) between 563 and 620 feet; 
on the Byrne ranch, S miles east-northeast of Tilden (well 119), 
between 694 and 734 feet; and 1£ miles south of Crowther (well 111) 
between 640 and 680 and between 820 and 840 feet. 

The deeper sands on low ground usually produce ilows. There are 
flowing wells supplied by these sands 4$ miles southeast of Fowlerton, 
at Crowther, 5 miles southeast of Tilden (well 120), 8 miles east- 
northeast of Tilden (well 125), and on the Byrne ranch, 8 miles east 
of Tilden (well- 119). All these wells are. however, without economic 
value because the quality of the water is such as to make it worthless 
for ordinary purposes. 

FAYETTE SANDSTONE. 

The name Fayette was first applied in Texas by Penrose in 1890 
to deposits which are now subdivided into a number of formal ions. 
Dnnible, 1 in 1892, separated the lower part of Penroso's Fayette and 
applied to it the name Yegua division, and in 1903 2 he made further 
discriminations. Kennedy/ 1 in 1903, adopted the restricted defini- 
tion for Fayette as proposed by Durable. With the exception of 
Kennedy's 1S93 report, in which the name Wellborn was used, all 
the reports dealing with this region since 1892 apply the name 
Payette to the beds lying between the Yegua format ion and the 
Frio clay. 

1 ►eussen < in 1914 made the following statements: 

The fossiliferous Vicksburg Limestone, aa developed easl of Louisiana, does not 
outcrop in Texas, nor basil been found in wells so far as known. Tbe investigations 
of G C Matson' have shown thai the Viclaburg limestone of Alabama grades into 
Bandstone toward tbe west. Sandstone replaces tbe upper part of the Vicksburgin 
wes ter n Uabama, more "fit in Mississippi, and -i ill more in eastern Louisiana, and in 

' Dmnble, B. T., Report <>n tiu> brown roni and lignite <>f 1 I Buray, PP- r - M ' ' H "*i 

• Bumble ii' tana: am, Inst Min. Eng. Ti p. 923,1909. 

ii,. i inedy, William, Oil fleldi of thi ialena Gulf Coastal Plain: TJ.S.GaoL 

Burvey BulL 213 | 

■ lexander, log] end imdei pound waten <>f the southeastern p.in of the - 

Plain i Weter-Supply Paper 836, pp. 09, 70, 1914. 

i OnpubU ii<<i notes. 



GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 155 

western Louisiana it replaces the whole Vicksburg, and even some beds of Jackson 
age are lithologically similar and apparently can not be separated. 

As here interpreted, the Catahoula sandstone is a lithologic and stratigraphic unit 
which transgresses several biologic zones. Stated differently, it is conceived to be of 
different ages and to have been laid down at different epochs in the respective regions 
of its occurrence. In central Texas, in the region of the Brazos, it is largely of Jackson 
age. In eastern Texas it is largely of Vicksburg age. According to Matson the vertical 
transgression continues across Louisiana into Mississippi, where the formation lies 
above the Vicksburg limestone. 1 

The term Fayette is used in the present paper in the restricted 
sense in which it was applied by Dumble and Kennedy, and the 
deposits so called are the stratigraphic equivalents of the beds that 
were designated Wellborn by Kennedy in 1893. They are of Jackson 
age, occupying a part at least of the time interval of the fossiliferous 
marls and clays of the typical Jackson formation to the east. 

The Fayette sandstone is a water-charged reservoir confined 
between the impervious clays of the Yegua at the base and the 
Frio clay at the top. This formation supplies wells in the south- 
eastern half of McMullen County, but the water is in most places so 
highly mineralized that it can not be used. 

The intake area is a northeastward-trending belt extending through 
the center of McMullen County. (See geologic map, PI. VIII.) The 
formation dips underground beneath later formations in the south- 
eastern half of this county. At Tilden it extends from the surface 
to a depth of 102 feet; at the Byrne ranch, 8 miles east of Tilden, 
it is encountered between depths of 25 and 410 feet. 

Water-bearing beds of this formation occur at a depth of 100 feet 
1 mile northeast of Crowther; between 280 and 300 feet 9^ miles 
east of Tilden; at 135 feet 12 miles east of Tilden; between 110 and 175 
feet and between 330 and 360 feet 8 miles east-northeast of Tilden 
(well 119) ; and at about 350 feet 5 miles N. 20° E. from Lomo Alto. 

Flows have been obtained from the deeper sands on low ground 
9J miles east of Tilden; 12 miles east of Tilden; and on the Byrne 
ranch, 8 miles east of Tilden (well 119). 

Owing to the poor quality of the water from the deeper wells in 
this formation very little use is made of such wells, but some of the 
shallower wells are used for domestic parposes. 

The water supplied by the sands of this formation is in most places 
(particularly in the district north of Frio River) so salty as to be 
unfit for drinking, for boilers, or for irrigation. Two shallow wells 
in the district south of Tilden (see analyses 115 and 116, p. 177) yield 
carbonate waters of moderate mineral content, good lor domestic use, 
poor to fair for boilers, and poor or fair for irrigation. 

1 Studies made by the author since this report was written seem to indicate that the Catahoula sand- 
stone as here described is not a stratigraphic unit but comprises two formations of similar lithologic 
character, the one at the base being of Jackson age, whereas the upper sandstone is of Oligocene age. 
The name Wellborn was applied by Kennedy to the lower of these two sandstones. 

11487°— 16 2 



156 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

FRIO CLAY. 

The Frio clay contains some sand beds that would supply wells, 
but the water is probably too highly mineralized for use. So far as 
known there are no wells in McMullen County supplied from this 
source at present. The deposits are, like the Fayette sandstone, of 
Jackson age. 

OAKVILLE SANDSTONE. 

The Oakville sandstone crops out in the extreme southeastern 
part of McMullen Comity (see PI. VIII), but as a source of water it 
is unimportant in this section. Where it is of considerable, thickness, 
as near the corner of the county, it doubtless contains sufficient water 
to supply wells, but apparently no wells have been driven to it in 
McMullen County, and little is known concerning the quality of its 
water. So far as geologic data and some preliminary studies on the 
water supply of Live Oak and Duval counties indicate, the water 
from these sands is potable, though it is not well suited for boilers or 
for irrigation. 

LATE PLEISTOCENE GRAVELS. 

The, gravels at the base of the lowest Pleistocene terrace on the 
streams in some placos supply water permanently or intermittently 
to such shallow wells as penetrate them. Wells driven to them do 
not exceed 50 feet in depth, and their supplies are local and not 
dependable. In most places the water is very poor, owing to the 
high evaporation and consequent concentration of the salts, but in 
some places it is of fair quality. 

At Shiner's ranch house, 10} miles S. 10° E. from Tilden, there is 
a well 22 feet deep supplied by these gravels with potable water, and 
a quarter of a mile east of Tilden there is a well 31 feet dee]) (well 113) 

supplied by these gravels with water that is potable hut poor for 

boiler use and irrigation. 

CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF THE WATER. 

GENERAL CHARACTER. 

The analyses in the table on pages 1 7.1—1 77 indicate that Btrongly 
mineralized alkali waters abound in Luxalle and McMullen counties. 

Almosl all the waters tested exceed 600 parts per million in total 

mineral content, and nearh two-thirds of them exceed 'J, 000 parts. 

Sulphate and chloride w aters predominate. Though only about one- 
quarter of the supplies are classed as sodium carbonate, more than 

half contain notahle amounts of black alkali. Because of this gen- 
erally excessive mineral contenl a Large proportion of the waters are 
poor supplies, many being unlit for use. Drinkable waters ha\ e been 
found m nian\ place-, and a leu are onlj moderately high in mineral 



GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 157 

content. In general, however, the region affords supplies carrying 
excessive contents of alkali. The waters must be called poor for use 
in boilers, because they would cause excessive foaming, though they 
would probably not be corrosive nor would they form much scale. 
The content of alkali of most of them is too great to render it advisable 
to irrigate with them, and many are unfit for such use. 

QUALITY IN RELATION TO GEOLOGIC STRATA. 

The superior quality of water from the Myrick formation in Dimmit 
County, west of Lasalle County, indicates that that formation might 
afford the best supplies throughout Lasalle County. This indication 
is supported somewhat by the relatively low mineral content of water 
from the Myrick at Zella and one or two other places; but as several 
deep wells believed to be supplied chiefly from the Myrick yield 
strongly mineralized water, it would seem uncertain whether the deep 
strata can be depended upon to furnish supplies uniformly better 
than those in the upper strata. Possibly poor waters from the upper 
strata, not being entirely shut out from the casings of the deep wells, 
mix with the better deeper waters; on the other hand, the deep strata 
may contain supplies of different concentration from place to place. 
The available information indicates that the waters of the Myrick 
increase in mineral content toward the east and that those in that 
formation in eastern McMullen County are strong salt waters unfit 
for use. 

QUALITY IN RELATION TO GEOGRAPHIC POSITION. 

The waters that were tested around Encinal, in the southwestern 
part of Lasalle County, come from the Cook Mountain formation at 
depths of 120 to 500 feet. They are highly mineralized sodium 
sulphate waters, generally poor for domestic and boiler use and for 
irrigation. They are fairly but not excessively hard, though they 
are high in alkali. The best waters tested in this vicinity are from 
a 300-foot well 1^ miles west of Encinal (analysis 47) and from a 284- 
foot well 7 miles northwest of Encinal (analysis 53). Though both 
are rather hard, they are of fairly good quality for domestic and 
industrial use, and neither contains an excessive quantity of alkali. 

The numerous waters from the Cook Mountain formation and 
around Artesia and Artesia Wells are sodium sulphate in character, 
but they are not so highly mineralized as those around Encinal. 
They are generally better for domestic use but poor for irrigation and 
for boiler feed, chiefly because of then high content of alkali. Two 
of the waters from the Mount Selman formation in the same locality 
are somewhat similar in quality to those from the Cook Mountain 
formation, though one well supposed to tap the Mount Selman 
formation (analysis 21) yields a very hard calcium sulphate water 



158 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

that is bad for domestic use and unfit for boilers. The only water 
tested from the deeper part of the Myrick in this vicinity (analysis 22) 
is salty and unfit for use. 

Wells at Cotulla, 100 t<> 300 feet deep, drawing chiefly from the 
Cook Mountain formation, yield sodium sulphate and sodium chloride 
waters that differ widely in quality. Some are fair for domestic use, 
but most are poor for irrigation and bad for use in boilers. Some 
wells, 1,S00 to 2,500 feet deep, drawing from the Myrick formation 
yield less strongly mineralized waters, which are nevertheless poor 
for general use. A 2,424-foot well 1 mile west of Cotulla (analysis 40) 
yields, however, a soft water that is exceptionally low in mineral 
content and good for domestic use but poor for irrigation. 

Shallow wells around Gardend.de, drawing from the Cook Moun- 
tain formation, yield alkali waters ranging hi mineral content from 
900 to 2,600 parts per million. The supplies are generally fair or 
poor for domestic use, poor for irrigation, and poor for use in boilers. 
One water (analysis ',).")) from the Myrick, containing only 1,146 parts 
per million of total solids, is a fair domestic supply, though it is poor 
for irrigation. 

At Fowlertoh, on the Lasalle-McMuUen county line, farther easl 
than the places already mentioned, waters from the Cook Mountain 
formation art 1 much more strongly mineralized. Those tested range 
in mineral content from 4.000 to 8,500 parts per million and are 
salty alkali waters unfit for use. The waters tested from the Mount 
Selman formation in the same neighborhood are somewhat better, 
ranging in mineral content from 1,200 to 6,000 parts per million. 
Most of them arc. however, too strongly mineralized to be useful 
and must be classed a- unlit for irrigation. The water- toted from 
deep wells entering the Myrick formation near Fowlerton are gener- 
ally the lowest in mineral content. With two exceptions they con- 
tain about 2,000 parts per million of mineral matter and are not good 
supplies because of their carbonate character. One well lapping the 
Myrick southwest of Fowlerton (analyses 85 and 86) yields water 
Unfit for Use, a- it contains more than 1,000 parts per million of 
solids. Another well recently drilled to the Myrick at Zella (analysis 
L31) yields distinctly better water that i- good for domestic Use, 
though pool- for boiler use and for irrigation. These marked differ- 
ences in the qualitj of water from wells supposed to draw from the 
same horizon in a relatively small area indicate either that water 
from upper strata finds access to the supplies or that the basal sands 

are not homogeneous. 

The waters tested from deep wells near Tildcn arc distinctly bad. 
That from m well (analysis L26) entering the Cook Mountain forma- 
tion (?) is salt v and unlit for use. Two from Wells lapping the Yegua. 

formation (analyses L19 and L22 also are loo strongly saline to bo 



GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 159 

usable. A deep well entering the Myrick formation near Tilden yield's 
similar water. Two shallow wells drawing from the Fayette sand- 
stone south of Tdden afford waters of exceptionally low mineral con- 
tent (analyses 115 and 116). 

The composition of the few waters tested near Crowther indicates 
that deep wells chawing from the Yegua formation will yield salt 
waters unfit for use. The best water tested from this locality comes 
from a well about 100 feet deep (analysis 104) in the Fayette sand- 
stone. The water is highly mineralized and of bad quality. The 
general indications are that deep wells in McMullen County will yield 
poorer waters than deep wells in Lasalle County. Though no analyses 
of water from the Myrick formation in eastern McMullen County are 
available, the water of one well entering that formation on the Kerr 
ranch, southeast of Tdden, is salty. It is probable that the Myrick 
contains salt water throughout eastern McMullen County. 

QUALITY FOR DOMESTIC USE. 

Waters that do not exceed 200 parts per million in total hardness 
and do not contain enough mineral matter to have a disagreeable taste 
are acceptable for drinking and cooking, though some of them might not 
answer all requirements of a good municipal supply. Hardness 
greater than 1,500 parts renders water undesirable for cooking, and 
water much softer than that consumes excessive quantities of soap 
in washing. Approximately 250 parts per million of chloride makes 
a water taste slightly salty. Somewhat less of the carbonate and 
somewhat more of the sulphate are detectable by taste. Yet though 
the lower a water is in mineral content the more acceptable it is as a 
source of domestic supply, the amount of dissolved substances that 
can be tolerated is much greater than is ordinarily believed. Alkaline 
carbonates apparently are most injurious, alkaline sulphates are least 
injurious, and alkaline chlorides occupy an intermediate position. 
Drinking water containing more than 300 parts per million of car- 
bonate, 1,500 parts of chloride, or 2,000 parts of sulphate is unhealthful 
to most people. On these bases a sodium chloride water showing more 
than about 3,000 parts per million of mineral matter or a sulphate 
water showing more than 3,500 parts of mineral matter is reasonably 
classed as unfit for domestic use. The most obvious effect of drinking 
water too high in mineral content is usually diarrhea. 

The total mineral content or dissolved sohds of waters that were 
assayed has been estimated by the following formula: 

Dissolved sohds = 30 + 1 .73C0 3 + 0.86HCO 3 + 1 .48S0 4 + 1.62a. 

The symbols represent the amounts in parts per million of the con- 
stituents determined by field assay, 30 being arbitrarily added for 
silica. In most of the results the figure for dissolved sohds thus 



160 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

calculated does not equal the sum of the esl i ma ted scahvforniing and 
foaming constituents (s + f). This disagreement is caused partly by 
error of assay, which is magnified by the methods of computation; it 
is caused mostly, however, by the necessary assumptions in the 
formulas, which, though they may cause some large numerical differ- 
ences, do not destroy the comparative usefulness of the estimates. 
The total hardness asCaOOgOf waters for which that determination 
was not made has been estimated thus: H=2.5Ca+4.lMg. The waters 
have been classified as to mineral content by the following rating: 

Rating for total solids. 



Total solids (parts 
1><t million). 


Glass. 


More 
than— 


Not more 
than — 




1.-.0 

500 

2,000 


Low. 

Moderate. 

High. 

\ try high. 


ISO 

500 





The chemical character of the waters is suggested by expressing 
in symbols the predominant acid and basic radicles. The designa- 
tion calcium (Ca) indicates that calcium and magnesium are pre- 
dominant among the bases, and sodium (Xa) that sodium and 
potassium are predominant, the application of either term being an 
assumption of the presence of the minor base: similarly the use of 
carbonate (CO s ), sulphate (SOJ, or chloride (.( i) shows which acid 
radicle is predominant. Combination of the two designations classi- 
fies the water by type; for example, the combined designation 
"sodium chloride" (Na-Cl) indicates that the water is a salt, water; 

the designation Ca-S(), represents a gypsiferous water. 

The rating under the heading "Quality for domestic use" is based 
entirely on the mineral content of the supplies and has no reference 
whatever to the possibility of pollution by Bewage or other dangerous 
waste. As DO bacteriologic examinations of the waters or sanitary 

inspections of the surroundings of the wells were made, no opinion 
as to the hygienic quality of the supplies can be given except in 
relation to their content of mineral matter. The waters in the table 
of analyses (pp. 17"> 177) classed as unlit for domestic use are too 
Btrongly mineralized to be drinkable; thej exceed 1,500 parts per mil- 
lion in content of chlorine or 'J. 0(10 parts in content of sulphate, OI 

are high in these constituents and also exceed reasonable limits in their 
contents of carbonate and bicarbonate. The waters classed as had 
closerj approach the hunts of potability. Most, of those classed as 
poor are drinkable but have a distinct taste of alkali or are excessively 
hard. Most "f those classed as fair have little or no distinct taste 

hut aie !<>.> hard to he entirely acceptable. 



GBOUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 161 

About one-third of the ground waters tested in these two counties 
may be considered good or fair for domestic use and slightly less than 
one-half are bad or unfit. About half the wells supplied chiefly from 
the Cook Mountain formation yield waters that may reasonably be 
considered good or fair. The proportion of good waters is somewhat 
smaller for the Myrick formation, though some of the best supplies 
are from that formation. In general, the waters of the Myrick are 
lower in sulphate and chloride than those of the Cook Mountain, but 
rather higher in carbonate and too high in total mineral content to 
be satisfactory. 

QUALITY FOB IRRIGATION". 

Water that contains much alkali is injurious to crops, because 
through evaporation the alkali gradually accumulates in the upper 
layers of the sod and eventually becomes so strongly concentrated 
that it is poisonous. The comparative value of the waters for irri- 
gation has been estimated by applying the formulas developed by 
Stabler ' for calculating the "alkali coefficient," which is defined by 
him as the depth in inches of water which on evaporation would 
yield sufficient alkali to render a 4-foot depth of sod injurious to the 
most sensitive crops. Whether injury would result from the appli- 
cation of that quantity to any particular piece of land depends on 
several factors besides the alkali coefficient, namely, methods of 
irrigation, the crops grown, and the character of the sod and drainage 
conditions, and it should be clearly understood that the alkali 
coefficient takes no account of such factors. Waters relatively high 
in their content of alkali may be used without damage on a loose soil 
with free drainage, and some with still greater content of alkali may 
be applied to carefully selected land that is thoroughly underdrained 
by tiling or some similar means. 

The alkali coefficients (k) computed by means of the following 
formulas are given in the tables of analyses : 

2 040 
k = — W— if Na — 0.65 CI is zero or negative. 

ft COfi 

k = ->j ' fi pi if Na — 0.65 CI is positive but not more than 0.48 S0 4 . 



Na + 2.6C1 



k = 



662 



Na 



_n 19C\ — 4^SO ^ Na — 0.65C1 — 0.48SO 4 is positive. 



The value of sodium (Na) for use in these formulas has been com- 
puted from the results of the field assays by means of the formula 
Na = 0.4lHCO 3 + 0.83CO 3 + 0.7lCl + 0.52SO 4 -0.5H, in which H rep- 
resents the total hardness as CaC0 3 . 

■ Stabler, Herman, Some stream waters of the western United States: U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply 
Paper 274. p. 177, 1911. 



162 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

The value of the waters for irrigation lias been expressed in words 
by use of the following classification, which is based on ordinary 
irrigation practice in the United States: 

Classification of irrigation waters. 



k. 


Class. 


Remarks. 


More than is 

18 to 6 


Good.... 
Fair 

l'oor 

Bad 


Have been used successfully for many years without special care to pre\ cut 

alkali accumulation. 
Special care to prevent gradual alkali accumulation has generally been 

found necessary except on loose soils with free drainage. 
Care in selection of soils has been found to be imperative and artificial 

drainage has frequently been found necessary. 
Practically valueless for irrigation. 


6.9 to 1.2 


Le-< than 1-2 



Though a few scattered waters in Lasalle and McMullcn counties 
might be considered fair for irrigation, most of the waters contain too 
much alkali to make it advisable to irrigate with them, and many are 
unfit for that purpose. The salt waters thai might perhaps be used 
would have to be applied with unusual and expensive provisions for 
drainage in order to prevent the accumulation of alkali, and the 
Large quantities that would have to be applied frequently in order 
to prevent concentration of alkali by evaporation woidd doubtless 
render pumping out of the question. 

Two-thirds of the waters tested are classed as poor, only four as 
fair, and none as good for irrigation. Nearly half exceed 2,500 parts 
per million in their estimated content of mineral matter, and one- 
quarter exceed 4,000 parts. In other words, though a few waters 
ha\ e been found that might be applied to land without causing undue 
accumulation of alkali, the majority could not be used for any length 
of lime under ordinary conditions of irrigation. It should be under- 
stood that these statements refer only to the character of the waters 
themselves and not to the condition of the soils that are irrigable or 
the crops that might be planted. 

Artesian waters carrying very great quantities of soluble matter 
arc used for irrigation in certain oases of Sahara Desert, 1 where vege- 
tables sensitive to alkali are successfully irrigated with water con- 
taining as much as N.OOO parts per million of soluble salts, half of 
which in some waters is sodium chloride. That concent rat ion is 

equivalent to about 2,400 parts per million of chlorine. Twelve of 

the ground waters examined in Lasalle and Me Mullen counties contain 
more than that amount of chlorine, and several others Contain at 

least ball a- much. Special attention may be called to the tact that 
thorough drainage and frequent irrigation with very large quantities 
of water are essentia] where water having a high content of stilt is 

■Mean in. fhouMof alkaUne and saline waton for irrigation: ' 8 Dtp! v-r Bui BoUj I 

July I . I Ql t ciHili-rrin c of engineers of the Hi> tarnation San in-: 1 B. Oool 

Sur\e\ WaUr-Supph i'.,, .. 1904. 



GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMTJLLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 163 

applied to land in order that accumulation of alkali may not destroy 
the fertility of the soil. Such notable decrease in the duty of water 
is particularly expensive, and the value of the crops must be high to 
justify the additional cost of drainage. 

It has been suggested that highly mineralized waters may be safely 
used for irrigation where land is relatively cheap by rotation of the 
fields irrigated. A field may be irrigated one or two years, after 
which it is planted for two or three years to crops that do not require 
irrigation. This resting of the soil during the interval in which it is 
not irrigated is believed to give the soluble alkali salts a chance to 
be leached out with the aid of the rainfall. After the land has rested 
for some years it is again planted to irrigated crops. It may be 
possible to use in this way some of the strong waters of this area 
without injury to the crops, but whether they can thus be profitably 
utilized will depend on the cheapness of the land and the ease with 
which the water can be obtained. Much land is of course required 
under these conditions, and the expense of ditching and furrowing 
the larger tracts is greater than that with a water free from alkali. 

QUALITY FOR BOILER USE. 

The chief troubles caused by mineral matter in waters used in boilers 
are scale formation, foaming, and corrosion. When water is heated 
under pressure and concentrated by evaporation, as in a steam 
boiler, certain substances go out of solution and solidify on the flues 
and crown sheets or within the tubes. These deposits of scale or 
sludge increase fuel consumption because they are poor conductors 
of heat, and they also increase the cost of boiler repairs and attendance 
because they have to be removed. If the accumulation is too great 
the boiler may explode. Corrosion is caused by the solvent action 
of acids on the iron of the boiler, and acids freed in the boiler by the 
deposition of basic radicles as hydrates are probably the chief cause 
of corrosive action. Foaming is the formation of masses of bubbles 
on the surface of the water and in the steam space above the water, 
and it is intimately connected with priming, which is the passage 
from the boiler of water mixed with steam. Foaming usually results 
when the concentration of alkali salts or of suspended matter in the 
boiler becomes too great. 

The following formulas, adapted from those of Stabler, 1 have been 
used for computing the probable scale-forming ingredients (s), the 
probable foammg ingredients (f), both in parts per mdlion, and the 
tendency to cause corrosion (c) . If silica (Si0 2 ) was not reported the 
value 30 has been arbitrarily used for it in the first formula. 

s = Si0 2 + 2.95 Ca + 1 .66 Mg. 

f = 2.7 (Na + K). 

1 Stabler, Herman, op. cit., p. 171. 



164 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

C— If 0.0828 Mg-0.0336 CO 3 -0.0165 HC0 3 is positive the water is 
corrosive (C). If 0.0828 Mg + 0.0503 Ca-0.0336 CO 3 -0.0165 HCO B 
is negative no corrosion will occur because of the mineral constituents 
of the water (NC). If 0.0828 Mg-0.0336 CO 3 -0.0165 HC0 3 is nega- 
tive but 0.0828 Mg + 0.0503 Ca-0.0336 CO 3 -0.0165 HCO s is positive 
corrosion may or may not occur (?). 

The following similar formulas have been applied to the field 
assays: ' 

s = 30 + H. 

f=2.7 (Na + K). 

c— If 0.033 C0 3 + 0.016 HC0 3 equals or exceeds 0.02 H no corro- 
sion is likely to occur (NC). If 0.004 H exceeds 0.033 C0 3 + 0.016 
HC0 3 corrosion is likely to occur (C). If 0.033 C0 3 + 0.016 HC0 3 is 
less than 0.02 H but greater than 0.004 H corrosion may or may not 
occur (?). 

In these formulas Si0 2 , Ca, Mg, Na, K, C0 3 , HC0 3 , and II represent, 
respectively, the amounts in parts per million of silica, calcium, mag- 
nesium, sodium, potassium, carbonate, bicarbonate, and total hard- 
ness as CaC0 3 , as determined by analysis. 

The value of waters in respect to their scale-forming ingredients 
may be expressed in words as follows : 

Classification of ivaters in respect to scale. 



Scaling constituents 

(parts per million I. 


Class ifica- 
t ion. 


EU marks. 


M.,r,. 

than— 


Not more 
than— 




BO 

200 

430 


Good 

Kuir 

Had... 

Very bad.. 


I "nlikelv to OHM ftlOflUilvfl formation of scale. 


90 

200 
430 
680 


May boused without moon trouble If boflar Is cleaned regularly, but 

could be improved by softening. 
Dae attended b; formation of mucb Mala anil softening advisable. 
[Teatmant before use hnperai 

Almost useless in raw state, and ••oftenins; attended by formation 






e foaming constituents. 



The w:iters have been classified rat her liberally in respect to their 

(■intent of foaming ingredients. Waters containing more than 800 
parts of alkali salts are likely to cause trouble l>y foaming, and, 
though supplies containing as much as 1,700 parts per million of 
foaming constituents have been used in boilers, it is usually more 
economical to incur considerable expense in replacing such supplies 
by better ones. 

Few of the Witters in Lasalle and M ('Mullen counties are had for 
boiler use because Of excessive content of scale-forming ingredients, 

and probably few would cause corrosion through deposition of mag- 



i Dole, i: ii . Sapid axuntMtton of water la gaologtoaurveyi of water rosom . (IooIok.v, vol. 

0, p. 341), mu. 



GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 165 

nesium. The chief objection to their use in boilers is their great 
content of alkali salts, which would cause excessive foaming and, 
even with the better ones, unreasonable loss by the necessity of fre- 
quent blowing down to prevent undue concentration in the boilers. 
Complaint has also been made that boiler waters carrying large 
amounts of sodium salts cause corrosion, possibly by electrolysis. 
Railroads traversing this area use surface water for boiler supply 
wherever it is obtainable. 

COMPARISON WITH SURFACE WATERS. 

The chemical composition and the quality of water from several 
rivers in southern Texas and New Mexico are shown in the following 
table in order that comparison may be made between the usefulness 
of the ground waters of Lasalle and McMullen counties and that of 
supplies from these large well-known streams. The figures repre- 
sent the average condition of the streams as determined by analyses, 
made under the direction of W. H. Heileman, of samples collected 
at each station for one year or more. Nueces River traverses the 
part of Texas under consideration, but no analyses of the water of 
that stream or its tributaries are available. 

Average quality of the water of certain streams in southwestern United States. 
[Parts per million.] 



Silica (Si0 2 ) 

Iron(Fe) 

Calcium (Ca) 

Magnesium (Mg) 

Sodium and potassium (Na+K) 

Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) 

Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 

Chlorine (CI) 

Nitrate radicle (NO3) 

Total hardness as CaC0 3 

Dissolved solids 

Estimated scale-forming ingredients . 

Estimated foaming ingredients 

Probability of corrosion 

Quality for boiler use 

Quality for domestic use 

Alkali coefficient (inches) 

Quality for irrigation 

Mineral content 

Chemical character 



Rio Grande 
at San 
Marcial, 
N. Mex., 
May 28, 
1905, to 
Apr. 27, 
1907.O 



70 
14 
61 

.5 
166 
136 
41 
.3 
232 
438 
250 
160 
(?) 
Poor. 
Fair. 
40 
Good. 
Moderate. 
Ca-S0 4 . 



Rio Grande 

at Laredo, 

Tex., Aug. 

1, 1905, to 

Aug. 2, 

1906.6 



29 

/3.6 
104 

23 
119 

.0 
178 
228 
164 



354 
791 
370 
320 
(?) 
Poor. 
Fair. 
12 

Fair. 

High. 

Ca-S0 4 . 



Hondo 

River near 

Roswell, 

N. Mex., 

Mar. 26 to 

Aug. 4, 

1905. c 



149 
30 
39 
2.9 
149 
352 
39 
1.2 
496 
782 
520 
105 
(?) 
Bad. 
Fair. 
44 
Good. 
High. 
Ca-S0 4 . 



Pecos 

River near 

Carlsbad, 

N. Mex., 

May 22, 

1905, to 

Apr. 30, 

1907.d 



381 
95 
299 

.3 
155 
1,197 
462 
.03 
1,340 
2,720 
1,310 
810 
Corrosive. 
Bad. 
Poor. 
4.4 
Poor. 
Very high. 
Ca-S0 4 . 



Colorado 
River near 

Austin, 
Tex., Aug. 
1, 1905, to 

July 27, 
1906. c 



18 
/3. 
52 
17 
49 

.1 
195 
42 
59 



200 
321 
200 
130 

(?) ~ • 
Fair. 

Good. 

34 

Good. 

Moderate. 

Ca-C0 3 . 



a Stabler, Herman, Some stream waters of the western United States: IT. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply 
Paper 274, p. 105, 1911. 

6 Dole, R. B., The quality of surface waters in the United States, Part I: U. S. Geol. Survey Water- 
Supply Paper 236, p. 96, 1909. 

c Stabler, Herman, op. cit., p. 52. 

d Idem, p. 86. 

< Dole, R. B., op. cit., p. 56. 

/ Fej03+Al 2 3 . 



166 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

These figures show that the large rivers of Texas are much better 
in quality than the ground waters of Lasalle ami McMullen counties. 
The Rio Grande at Laredo usually carries less than S00 parts per 
million of dissolved mineral matter and seldom more than 1,000 
parts, often containing as little as 500 parts per million. Its water 
averages less than 400 parts per million of scale-forming and 400 
parts of foaming ingredients and could be used for irrigation if 
moderate precautions were taken to prevent accumulation of alkali. 
The water of the Colorado of Texas is still lower in mineral ingredients, 
being essentially a carbonate water that is acceptable for boiler use 
and for irrigation and contains too little mineral matter to interfere 
with its use as a domestic supply. The strongest surface water noted 
in the table is that of Pecos River at Carlsbad, X. Mex.. analyses of 
which are introduced because it has been extensively used for irri- 
gation. The Pecos at Carlsbad furnishes a calcium sulphate water 
containing about 2,700 parts per million of dissolved mineral matter. 
It is distinctly different from the ground waters of the three counties 
under discussion in that it is a gypsiferoiis water, or in other words 
jt carries in solution the land plaster that is used to correct black 
alkali conditions. In accordance with the classification that has 
been applied to the ground waters it would be rated as poor for 
irrigation, and published comments on its use apparently justify 
that classification. It is stated 1 that the water of the lower Pecos 
is so heavily charged with mineral salts that its use in irrigation 
requires the most careful handling. The following is a statement of 
conditions around Carlsbad: 2 

The chief difficulty as regards Pecos River is the large quantity of gypsum and 
alkaline salts earned in solution. * * * Much of the land already brought under 
irrigation lias been injured by being waterlogged or by an accumulation of gypsum 
near the surface, mostly due to unskillful use of water in i rri ga t ion, li is believed, 

however, thai by careful consideration of all these matters it will he found practicable 

to plan and construct irrigation and drainage system ■ reclaim large bodies of 

arid land without ultimately injuring it by the alkaline water- 

Ur. R. F. Hare, chemist of the New Mexico Agricultural Kxperi- 
ment Station, states that the water of PecOS River contains white 
alkali but that the amount does not seem to be sufficient to all'eet 
the use of water for irrigation seriously except in certain localities 
where poor drainage permits the water table to rise too near the 
surface .and to cause accumulation of alkali by evaporation of water 

brought to the surface hy capillarit \ . ' An opinion of investigators 

of the Bureau of Soils 4 is, however, unfavorable. It is quoted with 



i i s la- 1 S, - ' no Rapt . p -'•.•.', 1UQ3. 

l 1 B \:>< 1 Si; i «'l 

' llin- H I . :nM Mil. Ii.'ll. S I; . Tin- . .ilii|.u-il l.m ,,f DUmNi " III I'.\|.it. 

Bl > Bo 
. if, Lnar, P.D ■ . •. m. \ i .s. n,|.i. lp Dlr. BoU 

quoted bj u in R ' op • a . !• 7*i 



GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMULLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 167 

the amounts converted into parts per million in order that they may- 
be compared with other figures of this report. 

The average condition of this water is not good, as it contains about 3,000 parts 
per million of soluble matter, of which over half are harmful salts — the condition of 
the water varying from 2,000 parts to 5,000 parts per million. With 5,000 parts per 
million, or one-half of 1 per cent, the solution contains one-fourth of 1 per cent of 
harmful salts, 1 per cent being the limit of endurance of crops. There is considerable 
salt already in the soil, therefore but little evaporation is required at such times to 
concentrate the soil mixture beyond the limit of endurance. Furthermore, with the 
conditions so near this limit, vegetation is not as healthy or as thrifty as could be de- 
sired, and crops are subject to disease. 

The results of using this water are noted particularly because it is 
one of the most strongly mineralized waters extensively used for 
irrigation in this country; experience with it therefore indicates to 
some extent what might be expected from the use of the stronger 
waters of the area under consideration. The water of Pecos River 
apparently gives much trouble because of its high content of alkali 
under the conditions at Carlsbad. If the use of this gypsiferous 
water is followed by too great accumulation of alkali under' the 
methods of irrigation ordinarily practiced in the Southwest, the 
ground waters of Lasalle and McMullen counties, many of which 
are salty or black alkali waters with alkali coefficients less than 1, 
could not be classed as suitable for use in irrigation, and those that 
by reason of somewhat lower content of alkali are not entirely unfit 
for use could safely be applied only to land where unusual provisions 
have been made for preventing the accumulation of poisonous salts 
in the soil. 

IRRIGATION WITH GROUND WATER. 

There is a widespread but erroneous impression that it is practicable 
to reclaim by irrigation from artesian wells all the land in Lasalle and 
McMullen counties. In most places in these counties flowing wells 
can be obtained by drilling into one or more of the water-bearing 
formations that have been described, and nearly everywhere pump 
wells can be obtained. The results of the investigation indicate 
that irrigation on a small scale is practicable west of the fault line 
(see PI. VIII), but that irrigation of more than a small part of the 
total acreage even of this area is impracticable because the supply is 
inadequate and much of the water is injurious to crops. 

The practical exhaustion of an artesian reservoir is accomplished 
not by complete removal of its water but by reduction of the head to 
such a level that the cost of bringing the water to the surface becomes 
too great. Gradual reduction of the head invariably results when an 
artesian reservoir is exploited, every well that makes a draft on the 
reservoir reducing the pressure somewhat. In irrigation districts 
and in cities numerous wells drilled close to one another and heavily 



168 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 

drawn upon interfere seriously with one another and produce a 
radical lowering of the water level. Wells near the limits of the 
flowing-well area generally cease to flow when extensive develop- 
ments are made; then subsequent pumping further depresses the 
water level. Moreover, the pressure is lowered by improperly cased 
wells that discharge artesian water into the upper Bands. 

At Fort Worth there has been a lowering of the water level of more 
than 100 feet in the last 30 years; at Alt a Loma, in Galveston 
County, more than 30 feet in 18 years; in the vicinity of Carrizo 
Springs, Dimmit County, many wells that formerly overflowed are 
now nonfl owing. 

In Lasalle County every possible precaution should be taken to 
conserve the ground waters that are of suitable quality for irrigation. 
Every well should be adequately cased down to the lowest water- 
bearing sand, the higher sands with lower head being excluded to 
prevent the escape of the lower waters into the higher sands. Aban- 
doned wells should be plugged at the bottom with cement to prevent 
escape of water from the lower to the upper sands and thus to protect 
the pressure and retard the depression of the water level. 

From the community's standpoint it is reckless to permit each 
landowner to put down as many wells as he pleases, for numerous 
wells on a single farm usually involve waste of the artesian water. 
A larger acreage can be irrigated with a given number of wells and a 
larger total supply can be developed if the wells are spaced sufficiently 
far apart -say one on each half section of land than if they are 
grouped with a well on each 10 acres. Close spacing of wells results 
in interference among them, with consequent rapid depression of 
the water table and the attendant disastrous results. This effect 
does not manifest itself where wells are so spaced that each one is 
beyond the cone of interference of the others, and this spacing can be 
besl obtained in Lasalle County by putting wells no closer togother 
than one mi each half sect ion. 

When flowing well- are not in use the interests of the community 
require that they be shut off. It is as illogical to permit flowing wells 

to run continually and to expect them to maintain their How as it 
would be to open the lire hydrants in a city and then expect the pres- 
sure to be maintained. The need is imperative for cooperative or 
legal action to protect the water supply for use in permanent irriga- 
tion and to re-train individuals from acts conflicting with the per- 
manent interests of the community. 
The analyses of the water obtained at various lei els in the well l \ 

miles west-northwest of Kowlerton (see analyses 7.~> s.;, pp. I7l> 177- 

indicate that the water m the upper beds is much poorer than that in 

the Mynck formation. 1,870 to 1,957 feet bek)W the surface. This 

condition is believed to prevail generally in Lasalle County and the 



GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMTJLLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 169 

northwestern portion of McMullen County. The water from the Cook 
Mountain and Mount Selman formations is much poorer in quality 
than the water from the Myrick. In Dimmit County the Myrick 
supplies water poor for irrigation in most places, but the Escondido 
formation supplies water that is suitable for irrigation. 

All wells should be properly cased in order to shut off the undesir- 
able upper waters completely and thus to preserve the purity of the 
lower waters. Where many wells are driven through both sands in a 
small area, as in an irrigation district, the resulting commingling of the 
poorer and the better waters injures the better water. Fortunately 
the danger of contamination of a district as a whole is not so great 
under these conditions in these counties as where the better water 
lies above the poorer and is under less head. 

Even though wells are cased the mistake is often made of per- 
forating the casing opposite each water-bearing sand in the expecta- 
tion that the total supply will be increased thereby. This is poor 
practice in the area under consideration, because it either affords an 
opportunity for the commingling of the water from different horizons 
or weakens the pressure of the water from the lower sands, thus allow- 
ing the water to escape into the upper sands instead of rising to the 
surface. The only safe practice in these counties is to carry the well 
to the base of the Myrick or Escondido formations, to obtain in the 
bottom of the well a considerable thickness of coarse sand, to case to 
the top of this sand, and to observe every precaution in having a 
tight joint where the casing is set. 

WELL DATA AND WATER ANALYSES. 

In the following tables are given a list of wells in Lasalle and McMul- 
len counties and detaUed information concerning these wells and 
analyses of the water from most of them. The wells are grouped 
first by counties and then within the counties alphabetically by the 
post offices near which they are located. 



170 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1915. 



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GROUND WATER IN LASALLE AND McMTJLLEN COUNTIES, TEX. 171 



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Franklin K. Lane, Secretary 



United States Geological Survey 

George Otis Smith, Director 



Water-Supply Paper 375 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HYDROLOGY 
OF THE UNITED STATES 

1915 



N. C. GROVER, Chief Hydraulic Engineer 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT printing office 

19 16 









ERRATA. 
The following should bo added to the lint of illustrations on pagee 1II-IV: 

1'i.ATK VIII Geologic map and section ol LasaUeand UcMullen counties, Tex. 146 
IX, afapshoa ing the Myrick artesian raaervoii in eouthwi -t Texas. . 168 

Figure 31 Ifapoi Texae showing the location oi LaeslleandMcMullen coun- 
ts and mean annual precipitation fur the 20-yeai period 
to 1814, inclusive 141 

11«7'— IB 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 
Ground water for irrigation in the Sacramento Valley, Cal., by Kirk Bryan 

(published April 17, 1915) 1 

Ground water in Paradise Valley, Ariz., by 0. E. Meinzer and A. J. Ellis 

(published July 14, 1915) 51 

The relation of steam gaging to the science of hydraulics, by C. H. Pierce and 

R. W. Davenport (published June 26, 1915) 77 

Ground water in Big Smoky Valley, Nev., by O. E. Meinzer (published August 

4, 1915) 85 

A method of correcting river discharge for a changing stage, by B. E. Jones 

(published August 16, 1915) 117 

Conditions requiring the use of automatic gages iu obtaining records of stream 

flow, by C. H. Pierce (published August 25, 1915) 131 

Ground water in Lasalle and McMullen counties, Tex., by Alexander Deussen 

and R. B. Dole (published February 17, 1916) 141 

Index 179 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page. 
Plate I. Relief of map of northern California, with outlines of Sacramento Val- 
ley 4 

II. Outline map of Sacramento Valley, Cal., showing pumping areas 

and depth to water 18 

III. Map of Paradise Valley and Cave Creek drainage basins, Ariz., show- 

ing ground-water conditions 52 

IV. A, Soil and vegetation of gravelly uplands at north edge of Paradise 

Valley; B, Soil and vegetation at intermediate levels in Paradise 

Valley 56 

V. A, Large mesquite tree watered by underflow of Cave Creek; B, 
Bank of Cave Creek in Paradise Valley 6 miles below mouth of 

canyon, showing conglomerate that forms ground-water intake 64 

VI. Map of the shallow- water area of the upper Big Smoky Valley, Nev. . 90 
VII. Map of the shallow-water area of the lower Big Smoky Valley, Nev.. 90 
Figure 1. Section through Chico, Cal., showing probable position of Tuscan 

tuff 10 

2. Fluctuations of the water table in 24 wells in Colusa Basin, Cal. . . 20 

3. Fluctuations of the water table at Davis, Cal 23 

4. Position of water table near Yuba City, Cal., September, 1913 24 

5. Diagram of L. F. Tony's well near College City, Cal 34 

6. Dimensions of enlargement of discharge and suction pipes 43 

7. Map of Arizona showing physiographic provinces and positions of 

Paradise Valley and other areas described in ground-water papers 

of the United States Geological Survey 52 

in 



IV ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page. 
Figure 8. Diagram showing relation between maximum and minimum tem- 
peratures at Cave Creek station and Phoenix 58 

9. Diagram showing relation between maximum and minimum tem- 
peratures in Paradise Valley and Phoenix 59 

10. Diagram showing relation between minimum temperatures at Phoe- 

nix, Ariz., and Redlands, Cal 60 

11. Diagram showing annual rainfall at Phoenix, Ariz 60 

12. Diagram showing mean monthly rainfall at Phoenix, Ariz 61 

13. Diagram showing relative amounts of rainfall at Cave Creek station 

and Phoenix 61 

14. Diagram showing relative amounts of rainfall in Paradise Valley 

and Phoenix 62 

15. Diagram showing the geographic variation in the quality of ground 

water in Paradise Valley 68 

16. Power-plant efficiency curves 83 

17. Map of Nevada showing areas covered by water-supply papers and 

the Pleistocene lakes in Big Smoky Valley, Nev S7 

18. Diagram of a pumping plant adapted for conditions in Big Smoky 

Valley. Nev '. Ill 

19. Theoretical elope diagram 117 

20. Theoretical slope diagram 118 

21. Theoretical vertical velocity curve 119 

22. Rating curve for Agency ditch near Harlem, Mont 121 

23. Rating curve for Little Missouri River near Alzada, Mont 122 

24. Discharge, area, and mean-velocity curves for Ohio River at Wheel- 

ing, W. Va., with measurements at changing stage plotted to both 
measured and corrected discharge 1 2 1 

25. Automatic-gage records: A, Quaboag River at West Brimfield, 

Mass. ; B, Swift River at West Ware, Mass 133 

26. Automatic-gage record, North Fork of Wailua River near Lihue, 

Kauai, Hawaii 134 

27. Automatic-gage record, Kings River near Sanger, Cal 135 

28. Comparative hydrographs of lake elevations recorded by different 

observers: LakeGeorgeat Lake George and at Rogers Rock, X. Y. 137 

29. Portable-gage record. Ansable River ai Ausable Forks NY 138 

30. Portable-gage record, Winooski River a1 Montpelier. Vt 139 



INDEX. 



A. Page. 
Agency ditch near Harlem, Mont., measure- 
ments made on 128 

rating curve for 120-121 

Arc Dome, Nev., elevation of 88 

Artesia, Tex. , ground waters near 157-158, 170 

Ausable River at Ausable Forks, N. Y., port- 
able-gage record of 138 

B. 

Beckett , S . H. , acknowledgment to 22 

Big Smoky Valley, Nev., agriculture in 108 

artesian conditions in 102-103 

geography of 88-89 

geologic formations of 92-94 

ground water in, discharge of 96-99 

quality of 105 

quantity of 101-102 

sources of 95-96 

use of, conclusions on 115-116 

irrigation in 106-107, 108-115 

maps of shallow-water areas of 90 

physiography of 90-91 

precipitation in 94-95 

water table in, depth to 100 

Borgman, John, concrete pipe laying by 45 

Bryan, Kirk, Ground water for irrigation in 

the Sacramento Valley, Cal 1-49 

C. 

California , agricultural lands in 3 

irrigation in, reports on 3 

northern, relief map of 4 

soil surveys in, reports on 2-3 

California University Farm, rainfall and wa- 
ter table at 22 

Cave Creek, Ariz., description of 54 

intake of ground water on , plate showing. 64 
Cave Creek drainage basin, Ariz., map of . . . 52 

Coaldale, Nev., coal, quality of 112 

Cone of influence of wells , form of 22 

Cook Mountain formation, water in . 152-153 , 157-158 
Cook Mountain Plain, Tex., physiography of. . 145 

Cotulla, Tex., ground waters near 158, 170-171 

Crowther, Tex., ground waters near 159, 173 

D. 

Davenport, R. W., Pierce, C. H., and, The 
relation of stream gaging to the 

science of hydraulics 77-84 

Davis, A. P., on irrigation in Paradise Valley. 53 

Davis, Cal. , rainfall and water table at 22 

Deussen, Alexander, on the Vicksburg lime- 
stone 154-155 

and Dole, R. B., Ground water in Lasalle 

and McMullen counties, Tex... 141-177 



Page. 
Discharge of rivers, method of correcting, for 

a changing stage 1 17-130 

Ditch, stone-lined, efficiency of 107 

Dole, R. B., Deussen, Alexander, and, 
Ground water in Lasalle and Mc- 
Mullen counties, Tex 141-177 

Drawdown, definition of 22 

Duty of water, definition of 37 

E. 

Eibe,T.T., height of water in well of 22 

Ellis, A. J., Meinzer, O. E., and, Ground 

water in Paradise Valley, Ariz . . . 51-75 

Encinal, Tex., ground waters near 157, 171 

Escondido formation, water in 150-151 

F. 

Fayette sandstone , water in 154-155 

Fisher, J. R., height of water in wells of 24-25 

Forbes, R. H. , acknowledgment to 53 

Fowlerton, Tex. , ground waters near. . 15S, 171-173 

Frio clay, water in 156 

Frio Plain, Tex. , physiography of 144 

Fruit growing in the Sacramento Valley. Cal. 7 

G. 

Gage readings, fallibility of 136 

Gages, automatic stream, conditions re- 
quiring 131-139 

Gardendale, Tex. , ground waters near 158, 173 

Gendron, Frank, ditch lined with stone by . . 107 
Greasewood, distribution of 98 

H. 

Hance, J. H., on the quality of Coaldale, Nev., 

coal 112 

Hanna, F. W. , acknowledgment to 53 

Hauke, C. H., acknowledgment to 127 

Horton, A. H. , acknowledgment to 127 

Hydraulics, relation of stream gaging to 77-84 

I. 

Iodine weed, distribution of 98 

lone formation, occurrence of, in the Sacra- 
mento Valley, Cal 8 

lone Valley, Nev., location of 88 

Irrigation, details of, in the Sacramento 

Valley, Cal 45-49 

need of information on 85-88 

quantity of water required for 37-38 

J. 

Johnson, — , on the discharge of rivers during 

change of stage 130 

Jones, Benjamin E., A method of correcting 
river discharge for a changing 
stage 117-130 

179 



180 



INDEX. 



Page. 
K. 

Kings River near Sanger, Cal., automatic 

gage record of 135 

Knipe, L. G ., acknowledgment to 53 

L. 

Lake George, X. Y., hydrographs of 137 

Lamb, W. A., acknowledgment to 1-7 

on the discharge of rivers during change 

of stage 130 

Lasalle County, Tex., geologic map and 

section of I-* 6 

geologic outline of 147-M9 

ground waters in, analyses of 175-177 

chemical character of 156-167 

suitability of, for various uses 150-105 

irrigation in 167-168 

physiography of 143-147 

water-bearing formations in 150-156 

wells in, data of 170-174 

Lift of pumps for irrigation 25 

Lit tie ilissouri River near Alzada, Mont., 

measurements made on 12S 

rating curve for 121-123 

M. 

McDowell Mountains , Ariz. , .description of . . . 54 
McMullen County, Tex., geologic map and 

section of 146 

geologic outline of 147-149 

ground waters In, analyses of 175-177 

chemical character of 156-167 

suitability of, for various uses 159-165 

irrigat ion in 167-169 

physiography i>f 143-147 

water-bearing formations in 150-156 

wells in, data of 170-174 

Mcinzer, O. E., Ground water in Big Smoky 

Valley. Niv 85-116 

and Ellis, A. J., Ground water in Para- 
disc Valley, Ariz 51-75 

ate tree watered by underflow of rave 

Creek, Ariz, plate showing 

mery, 8. L., acknowledgment to 53 

Morris, Lindsay B., well of, description of 35 

Mount Bebnan formation, water in l.'.J-l.:i 

Myrick .rvoii. map showing 152 

ttyrick formation, water in. . . l"'l UB, 157 

N 

Nan If i-Mcii. rival waters In, quality ol — 165-167 

< i, 

oukviiic- Plain, i ■ • iphy of 144 

(i.ikviiu- sandstone, water In 156 

oviair. Qeorge, acknowledgment to 53 

Onto 

area, and 

Eh U 

made on UB 

P. 

Iris., artesian In. 06-67 

. ..I ; 

55-60 



Page. 
Paradise Valley, Ariz., ground waters in, oc- 
currence of 62-63 

quality of 67-69 

source and disposal of 64-66 

irrigation in 71,7.' 74 

physiography of 54-55 

soil and vegetation of 56-57 

plates showing 56 

water table in 63-64 

wells in. records of 70-72 

ParadLse Valley drainage basin. Ariz., map of. 
Phoenix Mountains. Iris., description ol — 54-55 

Tierce, C. II., acknowledgment to 127 

Conditions requiring the use of automatic 
s in obtaining records of 

stream (low 131-139 

and Davenport, R. YV\, The relation of 
stream gaging to the science of 

hydraulics 77 s4 

Pipe, cement and concrete, cost of 44-45 

Piper, C. A . . height of water in well of 25 

Plants as indicators of high ground water 97-9S 

Powell, J. W., on the status of stream gaging 

in 1889 "9 

Power plants. efficiency of. as determined by 

stream gaging E 

Pumping, economic limit for 25 

effect of. on the water table 21-25 

Pumping plant, cost of 113-114 

installation of 109-110 

power for 110-112 

Pumps, centrifugal, prices of -11 

efficiency of 

forms of. for irrigation 88-41 

installation of 

ft. 

Quaboag River at West Brimflald, Mass., 

automatic gage records on 132-1X5 

a. 

Itandell. R. K, acknowledgment to 127 

Reclamation Service, work of. on hydraulic 

problems 

Rival waters of 'Levis and \.-w Me.vico, 

quality of ■" 

Riven, discharge of, method ol correcting for 

I changing stage 117-130 

S. 

Sacramento River, OaL, overflows of 5 

Sacramento \ '.ture in 7 

alkali land to >'• *> 

development of ' 4 

geography of ' ■ 

ml water in. quantity of 

.turn in 

ul In alluvium in 10-1 4 

outline map of 18 

rainfall in.... 6 

rebel map showing 

s-io 

I itioll of 6 

watai beai 7 ~i 8 

18-10,20-21 

younger alluvmm to M 18 



INDEX. 



181 



Page. 
Sacramento Valley Sugar Co., St. Louis wells 

of, description of 35-37 

Sagebrush, distribution of 98 

Salt bush, distribution of 98 

Schlichter, C. S., on well casings 29-30 

Sierra Nevada, granite in 11 

Stream gages, automatic, conditions requir- 
ing 131-139 

Stream gaging, relation of, to hydraulics 77-84 

T. 

Texas, river waters in, quality of 165-167 

Tilden, Tex., ground waters near. . 158-159, 173-174 

Tonopah, New, access to 89 

population of 89 

Torry, L. F., well of, description of 33-34 

Tuscan tuff, position and water content of 9-10 

V. 
Uvalde Plain, Tex., physiography of 143-144 

V. 
Verde Canal, Ariz., history of 51-53 

W. 

Waflua River, North Fork of, near Lihue, 

Hawaii, automatic gage record of . 134 



Page. 

Waters, classification of 160-165 

surface, of Texas and New Mexico, quality 

of 165-167 

Weaver, Fred T . , acknowledgment to 53 

Weiss, B., height of water in well of 25 

Well screens, effectiveness of 33-37 

Wellborn Plain, Tex., physiography of 144-145 

Wells, bored, sinking of 27-28 

casing of 29-30 

drilled, sinking of 28, 103-104 

dug, sinking and equipment of 26-27 

operation of 109 

screening of 31-33 

Willcocks, Sir William, on the discharge of 

rivers during change of stage 130 

Williams, C. B., acknowledgment to 53 

Winooski River at Montpelier, Vt., portable 

gage record of 139 

Woodward, Tex., ground waters in 173 

Yegua formation, water in 153-154 

Yegua Prairie, Tex., physiography of 145 

Yolo, Cal., lowering of water table near 24-25 

Yuba City, Cal., lowering of water table near. 24 



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